A tamper-evident closure is one which, once applied to a container, cannot be removed without being irreversibly altered in some fashion. The alteration to the closure is an indication that the container has previously been opened. Therefore, one can readily determine whether someone has had access previously to the interior of the container.
Tamper-evident closures are particularly useful for packaging consumer goods such as, for example, foods and pharmaceuticals. A prudent consumer is concerned that the food, medicine, or other comestible purchased is pure and free from dangerous substances. Purchasing products in containers having tamper-evident closures offers assurance that, if no evidence of prior opening of the container is apparent, the contents of the container have not been tampered with or adulterated.
While consumers may desire to purchase goods in tamper-evident packages, provision of tamper-evident closures results in increased packaging costs. Producers, as well as consumers, therefore are desirous of a tamper-evident closure which is effective yet economical.
Accordingly, it is an object of this invention to provide a tamper-evident closure which serves the foregoing purposes.
An object of the invention is to provide tamper-evident closures which may be economically produced. A further object is to provide such closures which may be easily applied to containers.
A further object of the invention is to provide closures which securely seal a container and provide evidence of unauthorized entry, yet may be easily opened by a consumer. An additional object is to provide such closures which may be easily re-sealed by the consumer.
Still another object of the invention is to provide a method for assembling tamper-evident closures with containers in a highly efficient manner.
A further object of the invention is to provide a tamper-evident closure which includes a removable portion and means for facilitating removal of that portion from the closure once the closure is applied to a container. An object is to provide an efficient method for assembling such a closure with a container.
Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a tamper-evident closure having an integrally formed tab portion for facilitating removal of the closure from a container.